Morning Workshops

There are two periods in the Morning Workshops. Campers choose one class for each period from our Workshop options based on their grade level at the start of the previous school year. Please refer to the chart for the times that the classes are offered for your child’s grade level, or click here for a printer-friendly version.

1. New – Woody’s Workshop

Instructor: Michael Donovan

Session 1

Grades K-1: 9:00

Grades 2-3: 10:30

Woody and Buzz know how much we love our toys. In this hands-on Toy Story workshop we will construct and play with a variety of toys including cars, rubber band-propelled rockets, dinosaurs, a marble roller coaster and catapults. The science and design lessons surrounding our projects will effect how students create their own toys for display in the “Challenge Toy Fair.”

3. New – Art of Science

Instructor: Sabra Rivel

Session 1

Grades 2-3: 9:00

Grades K-1: 10:30

Calling mad scientists to create artistic masterpieces! Campers will have great fun creating imaginative works of art while exploring fascinating scientific concepts. We will make things ooze, bubble, drip, and spin by investigating topics such as gravity, density, cohesion, centrifuge and viscosity. Make nebulae out of glue, grow beautiful crystals, capture rainbows on paper, use flowers to make paint, create your own tie dye with Sharpie markers and more! This class will engage and inspire young artists to develop a lifelong interest in the amazing world of science… grab your lab coat and your smock and join us!

4. New – DoodleMatic Game Maker

Instructor: Alysha Horstman

Session 1

Grades K-2: 9:00

Grades 1-3: 10:30

This class is for every young artist that has ever said “I want to be a game designer!” or “I want to see my picture move!” In this class campers will start by drawing games on paper with markers. Using the brand-new innovative app, DoodleMatic and just one click of the camera (no coding needed!) campers will see their game come to life and play it on the iPad! Campers will learn beginning game mechanics while making a series of games, their own characters, stories and drawings. The class will use a story telling framework, connecting literacy and game design by linking concepts like characters and avatars, settings and worlds, conflicts and hazards. Campers will have special access to DoodleMatic Power-ups, to add additional features to their games and will experiment with fun materials like colored paper, fabric, candy, stickers, buttons and more to make their games.

DoodleMatic Fee: $25

5. New – Seussville

Instructor: Linda Andrews

Session 2

Grades K-2: 9:00

Join us in Whoville as we enter the wonderful worlds created by Dr. Seuss and his captivating, hilarious books and characters. We will explore many of his famous tales and artistically create our favorite characters like The Cat in The Hat, Horton, Star-Belly Sneetches, Red Fish, Thing 1 & 2, Yertle the Turtle, The Lorax, Fox in Socks and others! We will work with various art materials and decorations to make the characters we love and allow our imaginations to design our own Seuss inspired friends.

6. New – Curious George Goes to Camp

Instructor: Linda Andrews

Session 2

Grades K-1: 10:30

Curious George, everyone’s favorite mischievous monkey investigates his world because everything fascinates him! His (mis)adventures include riding a bike and a roller coaster, making pizza, playing ball, going camping and to the zoo. George, the Man in the Yellow Hat and his friends usually manage to make us laugh and save the day. We will work with various art materials to design projects to recreate the characters we love and make our own “Curious George Goes to Camp” book.

7. New – Climate Control

Instructor: Allan Pearlman

Session 1

Grades 2-3: 9:00

Grades K-1: 10:30

Climate science is an important topic in today’s news, so let’s study weather and exactly what conditions cause sunshine, rain, hail, snow and more! Experiments will introduce us to the greenhouse effect and properties of carbon dioxide as we learn how and why this affects our living environment. Learn how temperature, heat, humidity, and air pressure effect the atmosphere and how we measure them using Thermometers, Barometers, Hygrometers and Anemometers. What is the most powerful weather system and can we make one in a bottle? Why does water break that glass bottle your Mom forgot in the freezer? What will happen if the glaciers melt and the oceans rise? How do humans affect the weather patterns and the trend of global warming? We will explore the answers to all of these important questions.

8. New – Fantastic Beasts and How to Make Them

Instructor: Anne O’Connor

Session 2

Grades 1-3: 10:30

Get a little messy–and a lot creative–with papier-mache, clay, and other sculptural materials in this class. Let out those magical beasts that live in your imagination–whether they are dragons or unicorns, or even a puppy or pig. Starting with simple forms, you will learn to design and build some of your favorite creatures, and then make them move and come to life with stop-motion animation! You can have your beasts act out a scene from your favorite story, or create your own adventure for them.

9. New – Math Masters

Instructor: Kenya Paterra

Session 2

Grades 2-3: 9:00

Grades K-1: 10:30

It’s amazing what you can do with a deck of cards and a few dice… Sharpen your pencils and master your numbers skills with an engaging hands-on curriculum. In this mathematically focused class campers will be challenged through playing games, solving logic puzzles, brain teasers, group problem solving and riddles. Design your own exciting “mathtastic” interactive board game to share with classmates, friends and family!

10. The Illusionist

Instructor: Joseph Fields

Session 1&2

Grades 1-3: 10:30

Have you ever wanted to make a coin disappear, read someone else’s mind, make solid objects pass through each other or cause a rope cut in two to magically restore itself? Learn how to do this and much more by joining renowned magician Joseph Fields to uncover magic’s biggest secrets, fool your friends and be the life of the party. The delightful art of balloon sculpture will also be taught. Transform yourself into an illusionist with your personalized magic briefcase full of tricks!

Magic Fee: $40

11. Checkmate 1

Instructor: Anatoly Tonkonogy

Session 1&2

All Grades: 9:00

An introduction to the exciting world of chess. Chess enables children to develop and enhance their skills in discipline, concentration and patience. Students will learn basic opening, middlegame, and endgame strategies and how to achieve a proper coordination of pieces. Chess notation will be taught in order to review games. Instruction will establish an appropriate balance between lecture, discussion and structured play. Remember, chess makes you smart!

12. LEGOTech Junior

Instructor: John Fitzsimmons

Session 1&2

Grades K-2: 9:00

Use Legos as the inspiration to construct, investigate and communicate like little Einsteins. Students will use models to predict, observe, measure and collect data, experiencing forces, motion, energy, mechanisms and magnetism first hand. They will develop complex problem solving skills and understand the interaction between forces and motion, measurement, energy, speed (velocity) and weight (mass). This course will introduce campers to simple machines concepts while building teamwork and communication skills. They will discover basic physical science concepts such as gears, pulleys, levers, and wheels and axles through observation, reasoning, prediction, and critical thinking.

Lego Fee: $25

13. LEGOTech

Instructor: John Fitzsimmons

Session 1&2

Grades 2-4: 10:30

Do you want to know how things work? Do you ask the question “why” often? Do you dream of tomorrow? Then come and enjoy “Lego’s Simple and Motorized Mechanisms.” This course is designed to give campers an understanding of machines, mechanisms, structures, and mechanical advantage. You will explore the world of technology by studying and building projects that use renewable and alternative energy sources such as wind, solar power, water and your own body. You will investigate energy supply, transfer, accumulation, conversion and consumption through hands-on activities and exciting real life models. You are the engineer, you design, you build, you turn your dreams into reality.

Lego Fee: $25

14. Little Fashionistas

Instructor: Ying Su

Session 2

Grades 1-3: 9:00

For all the little aspiring fashion designers, this is the perfect class for you! A professional designer will teach techniques of fashion including illustration, creating mood boards, working with fabric swatches and colors, and basic sewing. Campers will work creatively and technically while having fun and creating their own style! At the end of the program, all students will have their mood boards, an LED bag and a fashion top to add to their collections.

Fashion Fee: $30

15. New – Edison Robotics

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 1&2

Grades 2-5: 9:00

Enter the world of robotics and coding with Edison Robotics. The Edison robot is a powerful, engaging tool for teaching children computational thinking and computer programming in a hands-on way. Campers can immerse themselves in a variety of STEM and engineering projects as they learn to build and invent. Using the EdBlocks and EdScratch software, these programmable robots will open up the world of coding and bring computer science to life. Students will take home their kit to continue exploring with Edison.

Robot Fee: $50

16. Gizmos and Gadgets

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 2

Grades 2-5: 10:30

Using the littieBits Gizmos and Gadgets Kit, students will be given a toolbox as big as their imagination. littleBits encourage students to play and experiment through active experience, enabling them to construct knowledge that can be applied to real life situations. Motors, wheels, lights, switches, servos, buzzers, even the tools to build a remote control – snap it all together to spark creativity and fun. From remote control racecars to automatic bubble blowing devices to a wireless doorbell, the possibilities are limitless. Students will start inventing the minute they open the box and bring their kits home to continue inventing. Develop creativity and engineering skills as you reinvent the world around you.

Gizmos & Gadget Fee: $150

17. New – “Annie“

Anne Pasquale, Artistic Director

Regina Talbot, Musical Director

Session 1

Grades 1-4: 9:00

Grades 4-9: 10:30

Step back in time to December 1933 as we present one of the best loved shows of all time… Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In this Annie Kids production, the spunky and optimistic Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in a New York City orphanage. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. With the help of her orphan friends and President Franklin Roosevelt, Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan’s evil plot finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks and a lovable mutt named Sandy. Our exciting musical numbers include “It’s The Hard Knock Life,” “Tomorrow,” “NYC,” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.” At the conclusion of the session, parents and campers will join us for a spectacular production.

Script, score, costume and materials fee: $50

18. New – “The Legend of Mulan“

Anne Pasquale, Artistic Director

Session 2

Grades 1-4: 9:00

Grades 4-9: 10:30

The “Legend of Mulan” tells the story of a fearless young woman in ancient China. Mulan disguises herself as a boy to join the Imperial Army in her father’s place in order to save his life, help defeat the Huns and bring honor to her family. She leads us on an epic journey over mountains, rivers, hills and valleys showing courage, bravery and tenacity along the way. The resourceful Mulan saves her battalion and rescues China from the invading Huns… she then reveals her true identity and inspires us to be the best we can be. Mulan knows it doesn’t matter if she is a boy or a girl – she just wants to leave the world a better place, a mark of a true hero!” Our entire cast will sing and dance to songs such as “I’ll Make a Man out of You,” and “Reflections,” So take Mulan’s hand and join her and the dragon — flying away on the Chinese winds, over the vast landscape of possibilities! At the conclusion of the session, parents and campers will join us for a spectacular production.

Script, score, costume and materials fee: $50

19. New – Platform 9-3/4

Instructor: Sara Teimor Charles

Session 1

Grades 4-6: 9:00

Grades 2-4: 10:30

Calling all wizards, muggles, witches, and more! You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Before you can sit for your O.W.L. exams, you must create your own owl, snitch, wand, and master the potion required to create “butterbeer.” Next, you will move on to N.E.W.T. level as you write and illustrate your own magical piece of Harry Potter fan fiction.

20. Photo Finish

Instructor: Liz Steger-Hartzman

Session 1

Grades 3-9: 9:00

This exciting class will teach the fundamentals of basic digital photography to capture images throughout the camp setting. Campers are required to have a digital camera or cell phone camera fully charged each day for class. Liz will teach you all you need to know to develop your photographic eye. Class time will be spent learning technique, shooting pictures and printing for your your portfolio and weekly contests. All of the campers in this class will also take turns using a real DSLR camera. The class will design and produce a published “Challenge Camp Photo Magazine” and each camper will receive a personal digital portfolio featuring their best work.

21. Fun with Photoshop

Instructor: Liz Steger-Hartzman

Session 1

Grades 3-9: 10:30

Have you ever wondered how funny pictures are made? Have you seen a cat’s head looking natural on a person’s body? What about the imperfect photo made perfect? In this class you will learn about all of the tools to enhance your pictures and make fun photos. Topics include basic image editing, transformation, retouching, enhancement, and compositing taught by a professional photographer. Campers will work on their own portfolios and participate in group projects. We will be working in Photoshop CC and students participating in Photo Finish will learn advanced techniques.

Photoshop Fee: $50

22. New – Stop Motion Laboratory

Instructor: Anne O’Connor

Session 2

Grades 3-6: 9:00

Whether you love drawing, painting and sculpture or whether you would like to write stories or act out dramatic scenes, you will have fun exploring the possibilities of animation. Spend a little time learning the basics of handling the camera setup and stop-motion app, then let your imagination take off as you bring your drawings to life, or create your own 3-D characters with modeling clay. You can also use small toys, or even animate real people in your films. Students will receive a digital copy of their films and can take home artwork they created while making it.

23. Wall Street

Instructor: Sid Jain

Session 1

Grades 3-5: 10:30

In this general introduction to Wall Street class students will gain insight into the functioning of the stock market and what role it plays in the economy. Understanding what stocks are, the types that exist and how investing works is explored. We will discuss the day to day functioning of Wall Street and the stock market from differing perspectives and outcomes. Campers will pick a few stocks, learn about each of them and create a group portfolio. The fun continues as we review our purchases while learning to use the tools available to assist in our decisions to buy, sell or hold each stock! We will continue to evaluate our portfolio and discuss the latest news and economic developments that impact our investments.

24. Junior Entrepreneur

Instructor: Sid Jain

Session 2

Grades 3-5: 9:00

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Have you ever wanted to run your own small business and make your own design, plan, price and sales decisions…here is your chance! Campers will enter the shark tank and become entrepreneurs building an idea from scratch and ending with a business plan. You’ll be challenged from concept to generation of a product or service including marketing and advertising. After honing your analytical, logical and communication skills, you’ll confidently present your plan to “investors” from Wall Street and raise play-money. Learning practical and operational aspects of the stock market, campers will determine the most viable businesses. Entrepreneurs will also brainstorm ideas for games and services for the annual Challenge Cares Carnival. Running the “show” takes creative talent and great enthusiasm. We need planners, organizers, decision makers and salespeople as we discuss costs and potential profits, decorate the carnival space, plan marketing/advertising strategies and ensure fun is had by all. Money raised will be used for charitable entity chosen by Challenge Camp. Last year’s class donated over $3,000 to Swim Across America.

25. Cityscapes

Instructor: Ana Saura

Session 1

Grades 3-9: 9:00

Create your own three-dimensional artwork à la Charles Fazzino! After being introduced to magnificent Mayan, European and Asian architectural styles, you will design an imaginary city and using this fascinating technique, will create a cityscape that will literally POP off the page! This program integrates an appreciation of architecture with learning how to design, plan and produce 3-D art.

26. New – MOMA

Instructor: Ana Saura

Session 1

Grades 3-6: 10:30

Pablo Picasso completed his first painting at age nine, explore your own creativity as we examine the magnificent painting styles and works of the world’s greatest artists. While learning about color, perspective and composition, students will paint works inspired by the styles of Van Gogh, Monet, Da Vinci and Picasso. From Impressionism to modern cubism, each thrilling week of lessons will produce your very own painting to decorate your world.

27. New – I Want My Mummy

Instructor: Ana Saura

Session 2

Grades 1-4: 9:00

Travel back in time to the land of the Pharaohs and explore the wondrous pyramids and miraculous mummies. Learn about the life of the Egyptians of thousands of years ago filled with unbelievable riches and golden jewels. Create fascinating artifacts from this ancient civilization such as paper plaster carvings, maps, pyramid models, mummy cases, jewelry and papier-mache mummies. You will write in hieroglyphics and recreate it on papyrus that you will craft. Come join us in an artistic world of mystery, wonder and intrigue.

28. New – Urban Design

Instructor: Ana Saura

Session 2

Grades 2-9: 10:30

In this artistic and architectural journey you will be exploring the design and creation of different architectural styles. We will begin with concepts of ratio and proportion and end with a scale model built according to each students own specifications. You will discover the uniqueness of old and new design techniques as you construct your own scale model buildings, bridges, skyscrapers, malls or homes. Materials will consist of foam board, wood, wire, color and special effects… even people, trees, bridges and cars. The design and construction of a model is a flexible open minded project which utilizes brainstorming, provides opportunities for divergent thinking as well as develops sensitivity to our environment.

29. Challenge Makerspace

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 1&2

Grades 3-5: 9:00

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Are you eager to create, want to experiment, and excited about new possibilities? Makerspaces provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they engage in science, engineering and tinkering. In this project based STEM class campers will work in collaborative setting and build invaluable problem solving skills. Example projects may include building bridges, catapults, electric boats, a flashlight, pendulums, a stomp rocket, pneumatic machines and more.

Maker Fee: $100

30. New – Escape Room

Instructor: Sara Teimor Charles

Session 2

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Grades 3-5: 10:30

Trapped in a room with a group of friends and one way out, you must search for clues and solve several kinds of puzzles and riddles to plot your great escape. When the challenge has been mastered, you will be guaranteed laughter, a sense of accomplishment and a new respect for your classmates and their abilities. Groups will complete a series of escape room challenges together and will then design their own escape room models and games for others to solve. This is an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime… assuming you ever make it out!

31. New – Spy Kids

Instructor: Allan Pearlman

Session 2

Grades 2-4: 9:00

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Enter the shadow-world of spying where all is not what it seems and where your camper will discover a new way of thinking about the world in which they live. Spy training begins with learning how to keenly observe your surroundings and collect intelligence. Design believable disguises, aliases and cover stories to create deception. We will learn how codes and ciphers function, and develop encryption and codebreaking techniques. Through projects like making invisible ink, we will discover methods of deception for surveillance and the scientific principles behind spy gadgets and technology used in espionage. Our special ops final challenge will test your critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving skills, to draw both logical and out of the box conclusions.

32. Recording: In Session with GarageBand

Instructor: Jim Weingast

Session 1

Grades 5-9: 9:00

What do Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber and The Rolling Stones all have in common? They make music in a recording studio. With modern technology, you and your classmates can write and record your own Music, Podcasts & MP3’s from the Challenge Camp music room. You will learn the secrets of the music industry… that you can write, record, produce and distribute your own music or other content from your home with GarageBand. You can even upload your music and podcasts to YouTube. No musical experience is necessary but students are encouraged to bring their own instruments and abilities to class. We will use our combined musical and creative talents to record popular and original songs that we will compose together! Whether you want to be the next Jimmy Page, Jack White or Lady Gaga, this class is awesome! Our class will record songs to share with family and friends via MP3’s in Google Drive and/or Dropbox as a final project.

33. Rock Star

Instructor: Jim Weingast

Session 1

Grades 3-9: 10:30

Have you ever wanted to be in a rock and roll band? This class is an ensemble course providing instruction for musicians who wish to experience all facets of playing, rehearsing and performing with a rock band. The typical lineup of a band is rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass and drums with a vocalist. Other instruments can be added to any band – keyboard players, fiddle players, horns, and auxiliary percussion players to increase the soundscape of the music. Challenge Camp provides amplification for guitarists, a bassist, a drum set, a keyboard and a P.A. for lead and backup vocals. This course is recommended for campers with musical training and a willingness to bring their own instruments. Beginners are welcome to join in the fun as well. The culmination of rock band class will include a performance for fellow campers as a final project.

34. Satellite Radio

Instructor: Jim Weingast

Session 2

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Grades 2-4: 10:30

Tune in to the coolest radio station riding the airwaves. Campers will create their own radio show featuring talk radio, interviews, sports broadcasts and spinning tunes. Musicians will perform “live in our studio.” We will explore the history of radio from the great shows of old to current Terrestrial & Satellite radio as well as streaming technology. You will learn creative secrets of audio effects and the “business” of radio. The Campers will write, produce content, and record original broadcasts as well as podcasts. The Satellite Radio broadcast crew will even create “commercials.” This class includes plenty of laughs and fun while we learn. This class is hands-on, interactive, fun and educational. Camp Broadcasters will learn to record and produce their own MP3’s to share with family and friends as a final project.

35. Challenge Film Academy

Instructor: Tony Ely

Session 1

Grades 6-9: 9:00

Grades 3-5: 10:30

Why sit at home watching movies when you could be making them yourself? At the Challenge Film Academy, beginning and experienced students will participate in the full process of constructing an original, professional Short Film. Led by a professional Director, campers will be a part of a high quality team effort to brainstorm ideas, storyboard, location scout, shoot, direct and act in their very own class creation. The campers will help determine costumes, props, credits and all aspects of the creative process. We will also discuss and learn how to pull their film together through editing using Premiere Pro. Popcorn and reviews will accompany our film premiere!

Film Fee: $50

36. Drone Flight School

Instructor: Michael Leon and Tony Reid

Session 1&2

Grades 3-9: 10:30

Our beginning drone class will explore the various uses of drones. They can be used for delivery, surveillance and security, aerial photography, filmmaking and more. We will discuss safe and responsible drone operation and local laws that apply. Campers will then fly their pre-assembled drones using Line of Sight (LOS) techniques. With practice, our new drone pilots will fly through obstacles and learn advanced flying techniques. Each camper will take home their own fully-functional drone.

Drone Fee: $300

37. Fashion Forward Wearable Tech

Instructor: Ying Su

Session 2

Grades 3-9: 10:30

Do you have interest in learning the art of fashion design from a professional designer? Join us in the fashion studio to discover the latest fashion trends including modern designs and wearable LED technology. Learn to put together fashion design ideas/concepts, work with design tools and fashion art supplies to illustrate your ideas! You will work with fabric and colors to come up with your own collection on mood boards. This imaginative course combines both creative and technical aspects of fashion design to create your own beautiful LED skirt and messenger bags to make your own unique statement to the world.

Fashion Fee: $40

38. The Illusionist 2

Instructor: Joseph Fields

Session 1&2

Grades 4-9: 9:00

Would you like to perform like Criss Angel, David Blaine, Penn & Teller and David Copperfield? If you do, this is your chance to discover the magic secrets that these and many other professionals use to baffle audiences worldwide. Join Joseph Fields this summer and learn the secrets, the sleight of hand and the proverbial tricks of the trade that helped make these professionals famous. Imagination, individuality and creativity will be encouraged to develop a personal magical act with polished showmanship. Extraordinary and advanced balloon sculpture techniques will be learned! Advanced magical secrets of illusion, levitation and sleight-of-hand will highlight this course as well as presentation and performance before an audience. Enhance your skills and transform yourself into a master illusionist with your personalized magic briefcase full of tricks.

Magic Fee: $50

39. Checkmate 2

Instructor: Antatoly Tonkonogy

Session 1&2

All Grades: 10:30

Intermediate

Suitable for students who have already acquired a working knowledge of chess. The course will focus on methods of attack and defense, on long term strategic planning as well as tactics and combinations. Students will learn useful skills such as pattern recognition, calculating and analyzing. Classroom lectures will emphasize the elements of logical thinking through a series of chess puzzles.

40. Grand Prix

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 1

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Prepare to break into the world of Real Radio Control. We will build an introductory model car which will feature powerful electric motors, actual suspensions and rechargeable batteries for “never-ending” fun in competition. Materials fee includes: 1/10th scale radio control model car, 2 channel radio, 2 rechargeable batteries, AC/DC Battery charger, paint, and necessary tools. Assembly, finishing, customizing, tuning up and participating in competitions are just a few of the skills you will learn in this unlimited world of radio control modeling. www.tamiyausa.com

Supply Fee: $300

41. Sumo Robotics

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 1

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Bring the fascinating world of robotics, engineering and electronics alive. The students in this challenging class will learn about gears, motors, tools and components used in modern electronic devices. Then they will perform intricate soldering and assembly of mechanical and electronic parts to complete their own Sumovore Mini Sumo Robot; www.solarbotics.com/product/k_sv/. This powerful and speedy robot, using brainboards and six sensors, tracks opposing robots while staying in our class sumo ring. Get ready to battle your classmates in the Great Mini Sumo Games! Students will keep their tool kit and assembled Sumovore robot.

Robot Fee: $160

42. Opening Bell

Instructor: Sid Jain

Session 1

Grades 5-9: 9:00

In this introduction to Wall Street and the Stock Market class, students will build a stock portfolio and compete for the “best stock picker at Challenge Camp” bragging rights. After watching the Opening Bell at the NYSE and NASDAQ each day, our work begins! We will discuss a general understanding of stocks and cover the analytical and operating aspects of the stock market. We will begin by evaluating and selecting and buying stocks. We will review our stocks daily and debate our purchases while learning to use the tools available to assist in our decisions to buy, sell or hold each stock within our individual portfolios. By understanding how the stock market works, we will know the pros and cons of investing and how to buy low and sell high!

43. New – Chemical Reactions

Instructor: Angela Puia

Session 1

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Grades 3-5: 10:30

Chemistry is everywhere around us! In this exciting hands on class we will introduce students to unusual and unexpected chemical reactions explaining how and why they occur. We will learn about the chemistry of baking, what makes dough rise, cheese curdle and canned whipped cream spray? What are electrolytes and why are they in my sports drink? Exactly what are fermentation, oxidation and emulsification and how do they effect our everyday life? We will study flammable substances and create a few surprise reactions surrounding density, dialysis, reduction, osmosis, chromatography and crystallization. Make an active volcano and elephant toothpaste… experiments also include a pH red cabbage indicator and diffusion artwork!

44. New – Lab Luminaries

Instructor: Angela Puia

Session 2

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Grades 3-5: 10:30

Join us in the laboratory to meet Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Galvani, Galileo, Pasteur and Watson & Crick to name a few of science’s greatest pioneers. Campers will become familiar with scientists who have contributed to the world’s greatest discoveries. We will explore their accomplishments by performing activities such as: extracting DNA, testing gravity and motion, examining x-rays, studying germs, dissecting light and forming fossils. This hands-on lab science class exploring true giants of physics, chemistry and biology is enlightening and may inspire you to become a lab luminary!

45. Blender 3D Simulations

Instructor: Dan Tepper

Session 1

Grades 4-9: 9:00

Blender is a powerful 3D computer graphics software toolset which is used to create animated films, physics simulations, video games and so much more. Using Blender, you can create an impossible scene by controlling and animating physics: Quickly build a tower just to knock it down and watch how it falls from any angle, Pour water into a glass cup and get the perfect, photo-realistic picture as it splashes out, Write your name in big 3D letters and then hit it with a wrecking ball – smashing it into a million pieces! Computer creativity and imagination is all you need to produce endless animated possibilities.

46. New – VR Explorers

Instructor: Dan Tepper

Session 1

Grades 4-9: 10:30

Introducing a new and exciting experience! Come explore the fascinating world of Virtual Reality through interactive and immersive coding techniques creating your own 3D space. Design a custom VR environment with CoSpaces adding objects, structures, landscapes and characters allowing you to experience your own historical scene or futuristic world as if you were standing in it. Use VR viewers to experience and perfect your world while helping classmates to improve theirs. The fun continues as you take home your own cardboard VR viewer, plus access to your CoSpaces account and the virtual experience you created… one that anyone can explore with the CoSpaces app!

47. FPV Drone Builder

Instructor: Michael Leon and Tony Reid

Session 1&2

Grades 5-9: 9:00

In this exciting technical course we will build a First Person View (FPV) Racing Drone. Building and programming are taught as an important part of this assembly process. Campers will learn how to fly from a FPV, as if you were in the cockpit and practice flying and racing techniques, including races of our own! We will address safe and ethical uses of drones and learn to be responsible drone operators and owners. Each camper will assemble and keep their own fully-functional drone and FPV goggles.

Technology Fee: $500

48. Minecraft: Challenge Camp Edition

Instructor: Geoffrey Byrne

Session 2

Grades 3-9: 10:30

Minecraft combines ultra simple graphics and game play coupled with multi player in several different modes accessible to learn at different levels. Journey from simple game play, to more complex world creation and server hosting. Students will work together to create their own procedurally generated world with an almost infinite combination or primitive mechanical devices, electrical circuits, and logic gates built with an in-game materials known as Redstone. Using teamwork to create a world from the ground up, Minecraft will serve as a gateway to enlighten students how to safely and securely utilize technology involved in game creation. Through cooperative play, campers will learn subtle life lessons about rules to be followed which affect their gameplay both on and offline. Many aspects of the computer science and information systems worlds will be introduced including but not limited to software programming, overall concepts and principles of networking and the hardware required in building these seemingly complex systems.

Please have a current Minecraft account prior to the start of camp.

49. New – Fortnite the Next Level

Instructor: Geoffrey Byrne

Session 1&2

Grades 5-9: 9:00

Fortnite has taken the world by storm. Join our squad of Challenge Camp gamers as we improve our skills and learn advanced strategies for Battle Royale competitions. Fortnite has been described as a cross between Minecraft and the Hunger Games. Campers will refine their building techniques and develop methods for cooperative play and coordinating strategies. We will practice our jubilation dances both on and off screen. Take your game to the next level in a tournament setting and be tested against the Fortnite Master himself, Mr. Geoff to see who can be the ultimate survivor… Good Luck!

Please have a current Fortnite account prior to the start of camp.

** Fortnite is Rated T for TEEN by the ESRB **

50. PC Builders Academy

Instructor: Geoffrey Byrne

Session 1

Grades 4-9: 10:30

Ever wonder what it takes to actually assemble a personal computer? In this course we will learn about each component by tearing down and rebuilding used PC’s, then we will build our own from soup to nuts! Starting with a bare case, to the motherboard, to the operating system and software involved, we will fully assemble, operate, tweak, and in the end of the take home our new blazing PC! This PC can replace that aging desktop at home.

Computer Fee: $650

51. Indie Game Maker

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 1

Grades 4-9: 10:30

Calling all aspiring video game developers! Using the Unity game engine, students will work in teams to create a 2D platformer. This means that everything from sprite art to music will all be developed by them with free software tools like Piskel a simple drawing and animation tool, and Bosca Ceoil for audio production. The main goal of this course is to have students concentrate on the creative aspects of game development in order to make something that’s appealing and fun. While we will be using C# scripts to control the behavior of the objects on screen, students will modifying pre-written code provided by the instructor. Whether you have experience coding or not, all that is required is a little bit of creativity and a passion for video games.

52. Battle Bots

Instructor: STEM Staff

Session 2

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Game on automaton! Have you ever competed in a robot-against- robot challenge? In this course we will design VEX IQ robots to meet a predetermined objective and then compete against each other in achieving that task. We will explore the basics of mechanical, electrical and programming structures to create our own individual solutions to the problems presented. Each camper will gain engineering skills through efforts to conceive, test, adjust, retest and evolve a fully-functional competitive robot. Each participant will take home their device for continued fun and learning!

Robot Fee: $350

53. 3D Printing the Future

Instructor: Jim Stanley

Session 2

Grades 3-9: 9:00

This course is designed to introduce 3D modeling and printing techniques to beginners. Campers will learn an overview of the components of the printer and how the process works. They will learn how to navigate a variety of 3D design software including the popular TinkerCad, Cura and Meshmixer to develop their own 3D models. In this project based course the students will learn the possibilities for creativity are endless and will take home a printer and filament to continue inventing.

Printer and Plastic Filament Fee: $350

54. New – 3D Printing Unleashed

Instructor: Jim Stanley

Session 2

Grades 5-9: 10:30

Building upon the core concepts of 3D printing, this curriculum will explore advanced techniques for designing and preparing 3D models for printing, the basics of support structures, exploring exotic wood and flexible filaments, and troubleshooting common situations that may arise. The course will include more in-depth look at software tools and techniques, such as creating see-through lithophanes with images, and basic 3D scanning techniques through photogrammetry. Campers will take home their printer, filament and the exciting potential of 3D printing will be unleashed.

3D Printer Kit and Plastic Filament Fee: $450

55. Counselor in Training (CIT)

Instructor: Marcy Geisser-Wolf

Session 1&2

Grades 9-10: 9:00-4:00

This course is an exceptional opportunity to learn and train to be a counselor in the Challenge Camp environment. The course meets daily and will involve such topics as: camper socialization, assistant teaching and coaching, building self-esteem, conflict resolution and more. Lunch is provided and the remainder of the day will be spent hands-on with our campers utilizing new skills. Session 1 CIT’s will receive full CPR and First Aid certification as part of this curriculum. This course is continuous for 7 weeks and will allow you to grow as an individual with an emphasis on achievement, maturity and responsibility. CIT candidates must be 15 years of age by June 15, 2019.